River couldn’t hear anything at all, except for the terrifying sound of crashing waves smashing against a shore in her ears.
Chavin.
Nearly a decade had passed since the last time she heard the name. No one had spoken it in River’s presence since the night of the Incident.
Even so, she’d never forget it.
Chavin was the site of the worst night of her life, after all.
Blood drained from River’s face, and she swayed. Her legs were unable to hold her upright. Her fingers trembled. The blanket puddled at her feet. Her phone must’ve gotten wrapped up inside it, because it didn’t make a sound as it landed on the ground.
River tried to breathe, to suck in a breath, to remember how to inhale and subsequently exhale, but nothing was working. Her throat was closing in on itself. Her lungs were tightening.
Screams seemed to be coming from all around River.
Her heart sped up, colliding with her ribs. Faster, faster, faster.
Could it race out of her chest?
The manacles felt heavier than ever. The vastness inside River expanded, an emptiness threatening to consume her.
But the nothingness inside her was better than the storm. Better than breaking and shattering and being utterly ruined.
Anythingwas better than calling another gods-damned storm.
River forced her feet to move. Or at least, that’s what she tried to do.
In reality, she took a step towards the couch. Stopped. Opened and closed her mouth, trying to force words past her closed throat.
It took several tries before she was able to make a sound. Even more before she could form a sentence.
“Findwhatout about Chavin?” River’s hoarse whisper seemed to boom around the room.
A sharp inhale came from in front of her. Ryker stiffened, his fingers curling around the couch cushion. Shadows slipped from Brynleigh, darkening the room.
For a moment, the entire world slid to a standstill. Even Marlowe, who was asleep on the floor, didn’t seem to breathe.
Dread swirled in the air and in River’s heart.
Something was going on. She was sure of it.
River thought she knew everything that had happened on the night of the Incident. She thought she understood the depths of her curse. She thought she knew all the ways she’d ruined people’s lives.
A few minutes ago, River would’ve said she’d already broken in all the ways a person could break. But now? The apprehension worming its way into her heart told her she was very, very wrong.
“What do you know?” River asked when no one said anything. “Ryker?”
Her brother inhaled deeply, then he exhaled. The low sound was almost… mournful. He rose to his feet and somberly contemplated her. His mouth was pinched in a firm line that set off alarm bells in River’s mind.
A moment later, Brynleigh joined him, looking downcast and wringing her hands together.
The vampire looked… nervous? Uneasy, maybe?
River had never seen her sister-in-law in such a state. Her heart contorted even further. Shivers ran down River’s spine, and she wrung her hands.
“Please,” she whispered, her voice echoing in the too-silent room. She wasn’t sure what she was asking for, wasn’t even sure why it felt like a world-changing request.
Maybe, if River had known what she was asking for, she would’ve left. Gathered her blanket and phone and went back upstairs. She could’ve pulled the covers over her head and gone back to sleep, blissfully ignorant.